Almond milk and carrageenan

Seeking an alternative to dairy milk? The China Study found a strong connection between dairy consumption and cancer. Milk consumption has steady declined, dropping 25 percent from 1975 to 2012, according to USDA. If you’re going to skip cow’s milk, make sure you find a good source of calcium and protein elsewhere in your diet and supplement with vitamin D-3.

You can purchase almond milk easily enough, but along with those comes lots of not-so-natural ingredients. Some brands contain as little as 2.5 percent almonds. That’s about six almonds per container. Or, is it better to eat a handful of almonds?

Almonds are highly nutritious but what about that almond milk your drinking? Many brands contain sugar, Carrageenan and other unholy ingredients?

Carrageenan is a seaweed used as a thickener and emulsifier in ice cream, candies, vitamin supplements and plant milks. Carrageenan can cause gastrointestinal inflammation, lesions and even colon cancer in animals. People suffering from inflammatory bowel conditions are advised to avoid products containing carrageenan.

Blend at high speed for 1 minute. Pulse a few times to break up almonds; blend continuously for 1 more minute. The almonds should be broken down into a coarse meal and the water should be white and opaque.

Line strainer with cheese cloth, and place over a bowl or large measuring cup. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.

Press all almond milk from the almond meal. Gather the nut bag or cheese cloth around the almond meal and twist close. Squeeze and press with clean hands to extract as much almond milk as possible.

Taste the milk. If a sweeter drink is wanted, add sweetener to taste.

Refrigerate almond milk in sealed containers in the fridge for up to two days.